


Death Note: Assault On Wammy House

by TowerofBabel



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Demetre and Matt team-up, Gen, Mello gets angry and lashes out at teacher, Mello takes out a terrorist, Near is just as arrogant as ever, Pre-Near / SPK Death Note, armed terrorists take kids hostage, secret agent like rescue, terrorists storm an orphanage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27140281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TowerofBabel/pseuds/TowerofBabel
Summary: Wammy House, a place for gifted children. When four gunmen storm the orphanage, a cryptic message is sent to Demetre Draycott (OC) by phone; a simple emoji. Curious, Demetre investigates, and learns of the hostage situation at the orphanage. With all communication cut off, the police powerless, and Zurn Wellington (Demetre's arch rival involved; See: "The Draycott Factor")...Demetre is their only hope!- Sequel to "The Butterfly Effect" -
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to my story: "The Butterfly Effect"

They stormed the orphanage without a care. They were armed and forceful.

One teacher became mortally wounded when he was shot in the stomach, his body taken and stored in a closet, and the Head Sister was back handed slapped hard across the face and laid unconscious by one of the four gunmen—their leader. Her body was dragged away.

The gunmen easily took Wammy House hostage, and with their quickness, no communication to the police was sent out. And yet, the gunmen had conducted preliminary tactics to prevent such a thing and cut the main phone lines and blocked internet. There was no way to contact the outside world.

The children were all herded into two classrooms in separate groups. The orphanage was not only the residence to gifted children, but it was also their school. The residential dorms were attached to the school. A church stood outside near a cemetery.

One child began to cry and a teacher tried to calm him down. One orphan even got a bit mouthy, a blond haired boy about fifteen year old. He tried to act tough as if he wasn't afraid of the assailants. But he was quickly silenced by the same teacher. The gunman told the teacher she was very wiser to keep order.

The main facilitator of the orphanage, Roger Ruvie, was held in his office by the leader of the gunmen. The leader wore a ski-mask to hide his face, and was a big, bulky individual.

Roger, a thin, balding man with small round glasses, looked up the barrel of the leader's weapon that was pointed at him and was informed the orphanage was now under their control. It was then explained to Roger that they were here to locate a kid, fourteen and small, who often came to the orphanage to play with the others.

The boy's parents were large contributors to the orphanage.

Just then, the kid in question was brought into the office by one of the leader's men.

The ransom was going to be hefty.

_To be continued..._


	2. Chapter I

Demetre Draycott looked everywhere for his cell phone. Anywhere it may have slipped down, he searched. He even called and left a voicemail to whoever found it to call him back at another number using a spare phone (which was dumb after he thought about it because it was password locked, they would not be able to access the message).

He sat on a white couch in the living room of his residence facing a stone fireplace. Living in large wooden cabin located deep within Hokkaido-Jozankei Forest in Japan, he resided with others, a ragtag team of mavericks using it has a base of operations since leaving _the Savant Society_.

The wooden cabin, big enough for a large family, belonged to the Yagami Family, but it had not been used for years.

Years ago, he and Light used to come up here with Soichiro Yagami, Light's father, for their annual sabbaticals, where they were taught basic survival training, shot and caught wild game, fished, sang, slept next to a campfire under the stars, and other adventurous stuff. There was no phones or any technology allowed and it was strictly a 'Man's Vacation', where they got down and re-connected with nature.

Light's father thought with people always being 'plugged in', that it was good to get away from the hustle and bustle of modern day life every once in a while.

Demetre they loved every minute of it. It was so much fun.

He was older now, but when they were kids, the cabin was like staying at a luxury hotel. It was huge compared to a typical cabin in the woods, with four bedrooms on two floors and a basement, a large kitchen, a study, a separate games room housing a pool table, a library filled with books, the main living room with its open-concept, a separate sitting room, and a vast array of amenities that Demetre had forgotten about since the last time he had visited, including a marble jacuzzi situated outside.

So much for 'roughing it', but the cabin did not originally belong to Soichiro Yagami, it was actually willed to him from an old friend in his academy days after he died. There was a strict stipulation that came with the cabin: 'Enjoy it, don't let it go to waste'.

So, Soichiro Yagami decided to start the annual tradition of a yearly sabbatical, which lasted for quite a few years until Light grew out of it and other factors got in the way of coming up. That meant for years the cabin had remained empty and dominant.

When Demetre, Adam, and the Shinigami left _the Savant Society_ , he wondered where they would go. Then he remembered the cabin.

Since moving in, they had added a few modern touches they needed, including a few televisions, wireless satellite internet, and a heavy duty CCTV system, all paid for on _the Savant Society's_ tab, an unlimited savings account, given to them by one of the Council Members Tamoca, a good and dear friend.

They used the cabin as their home base to hunt down Zurn Wellington, the man who murdered Demetre's beloved girlfriend Dana Chika. And thanks to Adam, who was only eleven years old, they were able to track Zurn almost everyone around the world. The kid was a wiz with computers, much better than Demetre himself.

Demetre spread his arms out wide on the back of the couch and looked up at the ceiling and tried to think back to where he last saw his phone.

Just then, he heard a small yip at his feet. He looked down and saw Cerberus, Adam's small and fluffy Pomeranian dog. From his appearance, no one would ever guess that Cerberus was a Shinigami in disguise. His real form, that Demetre had only been told about, was similar to his namesake from ancient Greek legend—a giant dog with three-heads.

During his time at _the Savant Society_ , Demetre learned that Shinigami had the ability to change their appearance to either human or animal to blend in with human society if they wanted to get closer to their targets. It was a form of playing with one's food before enjoying it, before a Shinigami took a human's lifespan. It also added to an entertainment value that Shinigami liked.

Demetre pat his knee and Cerberus hopped up into his lap. He then began to pet the Shinigami dog behind the ears which then caused a sudden licking frenzy to his face. And for whatever reason, the very act made him feel better about losing his phone, he even laughed.

"Oh, c'mon, stop it Cerberus," he laughed. Cerberus did and reserved to being just petted. "Did Adam send you here to cheer me up?" he asked. Cerberus yipped a yes, understanding him.

Adam Rothschild was a unique individual in his own rite. Not only did Adam share a bonding with a Shinigami, a god of death, and had done so since a very young age, since before he was eight, but Adam also possessed a special gift. He was able to sense or feel someone's emotions simply by looking at them. He was able to also reach into their mind and pluck information out with limited ability when their mind was open.

Demetre allowed Adam to sense his emotions, he had nothing to hide, except when he suffered depressive thoughts when he thought of Dana. When that came, Demetre knew his emotions became erratic and he put up a mental barrier, per se, to close himself off. Frustration and anger would then swell inside of him and thoughts of revenge towards Zurn Wellington, the ex-cop for the Japanese National Police Agency and now member of _the League of Darkness_ , would fill his mind. He didn't want the kid to feel those dark thoughts.

Zurn Wellington murdered Dana in revenge for Demetre'e hand in stopping his assassination attempt on Light Yagami using a third party hire. _The League of Darkness_ wanted Kira out of the picture. Demetre knew of the plot and stopped it, killing the assassin, but in doing so, the very act of coming to the aid of his friend Light caused Dana to become the target of Zurn's hatred and malice.

He wasn't feeling angry right now, not with Cerberus. In fact, his mood had been elevated to a more positive level.

"Good boy," Demetre said, petting Cerberus. "Adam's a good kid and I'm glad he and you are here with me. It's an unusual circumstance, but I don't think I could do this without either of you. Kira kills criminals, but Zurn is out of Light's reach, protected like I am, so things have to be done the old fashion way. We have to hunt Zurn down like a rabid animal, then make him pay for killing Dana." Cerberus yipped a yes. "In the meantime, it looks like I'm going to have to get a new phone and have Adam help me remote access my old one to erase its data. What a pain!" He emphasized his last few words as if each was its own thought.

As if his ears were burning with his name spoken, Adam came into the living room. Normally, he was in the Study, working on his laptops, plotting various points of destination to track Zurn Wellington, the last of which was Winchester, England, and also gathering other important information to help the team. The Study had been turned into a computer hub work station. It was also where the CCTV was monitored.

"Um, Demmy?" Demetre looked up, Adam was upside down from hie vantage point. The brown haired boy was holding his cell phone. "You did say you lost your phone, correct? You used a burner phone to call yours, right?"

"Yeah, I've been looking for it everywhere. You know that. I would like you to remote access it and erase all the data and its contacts. I thought I had it when I visited L's grave a few hours ago, but maybe I left it here and its on silent?"

"Well," Adam paused, "I just got this strange text from it. No words, just an emoji of a hand."

Demetre sat up and took Adam's phone when it was handed to him. He looked at the text emoji of a hand with its pinky finger sticking out. It was odd, but other then coming from his phone, there was nothing unusual about it. "Most likely someone found my phone and is trying out the features. Damn, they hacked my password. Can you track it?"

"I already did. I traced it back to Winchester, England, and to Wammy House, the orphanage."

Demetre thought back. "Of course! When I took out the flowers to put on L and Watari's graves, my phone must have fallen out of the inside pocket of my coat. If it landed on the grass, I wouldn't have heard it or even seen it when I was talking to the boy, Matt."

"Do you think the person that has your phone sent the emoji to my phone in error because I'm one of your contacts?" Adam wondered. "And to unlock your phone, they would need to have the knowhow to do so with, of course, certain software. Frankly, these days, any kid with a computer can find those programs freely on the internet. I'll lock your phone in the meantime to prevent anymore use."

"Thanks Adam, you're more computer savvy than I am." Demetre's eyes widened with sudden realization. "An emoji hand with its pinky finger out—like a Pinky Shake, or a 'Pinky Friendship Shake'? _Matt?_ "

Just before they departed, Matt, one of the orphans, had put out his left hand with the pinky extended. He said it was a variation on the _Pinky Shake_ , but he called it the 'Pinky Friendship Shake', after he said Demetre was his friend because he said he did not like Kira.

" _The enemy of my enemy is my friend,_ " Matt had said.

L had been Wammy House's most admired and likeable former resident.

Was it a coincidence?

He was skeptical of that. For some reason, he sensed something different about Matt when he spoke to him. And since Wammy House was a place for gifted children, he bet the message did indeed come from Matt, and this was his way, albeit clandestinely, to let him know the boy had found his phone.

Just then, Geist, Demetre's Shinigami emerged through an outer wall of the cabin with Angel. The Shinigami had gotten close since the departure from the Savant Society. Angel, who _looked like_ an angel, with pale human-esque white skin, with silver armour and wings to match, had been Dana's Shinigami. Now, she was Demetre's along with Geist. There was no rule that a human could not be owner of multiple Death Notes.

Geist looked like a groupie form a rock'n'roll band with his wild brown hair, skeletal features, and punk rock attire. He also carried a boneclub for a weapon strapped to his back. But despite his scary and eclectic outward appearance, Angel liked him, much like a girl liked a boy.

Demetre was surprised Shinigami could express those emotions, but he guessed even in death the power of love still resided in the hearts of all.

Geist looked around, saw Adam with Demetre, and said, "Hey Demmy, what's all the excitement about? I can feel _something_ in the air. You tense about something?"

"We have to go back to Winchester, England, Geist, to retrieve my phone," Demetre said. "I think Matt found it and sent Adam a message being one of my main contacts and a message than only I would understand because I assume he didn't know who would receive it."

"But we just got back from there a few hours ago? Now we have to go back?" Geist grumbled. "It's wet and damp there. Even Shinigami get aches and pains, you know. Can't you just ask him to sent it _express post_ through the mail or something?"

"If your bones ache, use Bengay," Demetre said, ignoring the _express post_ jape. "We're going. I need you to open a Shinigami portal." He stood on his feet. "I'll get a few things before we go. No matter where we go nowadays, I always have to be prepared for anything. _The League of Darkness_ could attack me at any time. We may be hunting for Zurn, but Zurn and the LOD are also hunting me, willing to kill me to take my Death Note for their sinister purposes."

Geist sighed. "Inconvenient timing," he said.

"Oh, Geist, don't be so grumpy, we'll have more time together later," Angel said, smiling sweetly. "Demetre needs your help. It's only a quick trip." She gave him a peck on the cheek. Geist smiled. "Any maybe, when you get back, we can try that thing we talked about?"

Geist straightened up. "Really?"

"What thing?" Demetre asked.

"Never _you_ mind, Demetre," Angel said, shaking her head, talking to him like a parent did a child when he asked an inappropriate question. "It's a private matter between Geist and myself."

_To be continued..._


	3. Chapter II

When they returned to Winchester, England again through a Shinigami portal, and arrived just off the cemetery grounds that connected to Wammy House and its chapel, Demetre instantly developed an ominous chill, but it wasn't the dampness in the air, it was something else.

The portal shut behind them, but Demmy stood on the spot where he had stepped out with Geist next to him. He looked around, trying to gauge the weird feeling. His eyes darted around like a small animal watching out for larger predators.

"What's the matter, Demmy?"

Demetre didn't answer him. He couldn't explain it, but he felt something like was being watched. But not in the conventional sense, it was inside his mind. He tried to shut it out, then it was gone as it feared being discovered.

"Nothing," he then answered. "Let's get going to Wammy House. I believe it's over in that direction through the thicket of trees. I'll get my phone from Matt, maybe stay for a while and visit, and then go; no more than an hour or so. Then you and Angel can do whatever you had planned. Care to tell me what she meant?"

"No," Geist said simply. "It's a thought. What if Light Yagami and the Kira Task Force are still here? It's only been a couple of hours since we we left?"

"Good thinking, we'll proceed carefully. Not that I'm hiding from Light. I'm just not in the mood to get in a confrontation with him right now."

They moved cautiously, and as Demetre did, ever vigilant, he noticed something strange. There was no one about and it was eerie silence that filled the air. Normally at an orphanage, there would be kids playing, running around, despite it being a day of mourning.  
When he was younger, he went to his uncle's funeral in America and got his good clothes dirty after playing with other kids. His uncle was very high up in the book publishing trade and he had five children. Some of his cousins also came to the funeral, and there was a bit of rough-housing and excitement. At one point, kids got out of control two trying to forget about where they were.

His mother and father scolded him for getting his good clothes dirty, but his grandfather then spoke them and told them kids will be kids. Demetre was very close to his grandfather and when Light killed him using the Death Note, he had been devastated.

They reached the orphanage, which was both a school and a dormitory for the children, and Demetre pulled the handle to the first door he saw, but it was locked. He looked inside the glass of the door and was shocked to see that a chain was wrapped around the inside handles. He went around the entire building and saw that every door was the same.

That ominous feeling of being watched immediately returned to him. "Geist, can you do a little reconnaissance? Check out the premises and see where everyone is. Something's up here."

He didn't want to jump to any conclusions, but it was not normal to lock a school from the inside especially with chains unless you wanted to keep someone in. He took off his light black jacket and revealed a shoulder holster with two guns. He also had a belt with an arsenal of other items. He had dressed suitable for the trip, casual, and in all black.

"Sure," Geist said. "Be right back."

Geist stepped through the wall.

After the Shinigami did, Demetre reached behind his back for a small pouch attached to his belt and took out Geist's Portable Orb, it looked like a mini-bowling ball. He put his hand on the top and thought about who he wanted to speak to, and called home.

Seconds later, Angel's face appeared using he own Orb. All Shinigami carried one, it was their method of looking at current events instantaneously. The Shinigami's face was rounded and flat across the surface of the orb and slightly hazy.

"Angel, is Adam there?"

"Yes, is something wrong?"

Adam's face suddenly appeared next to Angel's, obviously he had been with Angel at that moment. Demetre had to extended his arm out so he can see the both of them together. "Demmy, what's up?"

"Not sure," Demetre said. "Geist just entered the main facility of the orphanage. I can't get in, but it's not because of the locks. Someone has wrapped chains acround the inside handles."

"That seems suspicious," Adam said. "Do you want any help?"

"I need you to use your awesome skills with computers and see if there is any police chatter about the situation. I don't see any law enforcement."

"Are the kids in danger? Should I try to alert someone?"

"Stand by on that, I'll let you know when I get more information. But something is happening here and I don't want to spook anyone into targeting the kids."

"Right," Adam said. "I'll search all broadband radio signals in the Winchester, England area over the internet."

Demetre thanked him, then ended the conversation and put the orb back in the pouch and attached it to his belt.

Just then, the door of the orphanage nearest to him opened. Geist had broken the chain. "We have a problem, Demmy," the Shinigami said.

He explained that the orphans were being held by four gunmen in two separate locations. One adult, a teacher, had already been shot dead, his body stored in a closet and a trail of blood was on the floor leading to the body and the Sister to the orphanage had been struck and was unconscious in one of the empty classrooms. The kids were safe. The bulk of the kids were in a larger classroom with two gunmen guarding them, another classroom had less kids and only one gunman. The last, the leader, was in the Main Facilitator's Office.

Demetre was impressed. Geist was better than the best surveillance equipment or infrared radar.

Demetre crossed his arms across his chest and pulled out his guns, twin Beretta 90Two .40 models. He had purchased them illegally, and he didn't have an official gun license, but in has current situation battling _the League of Darkness_ and his entanglements with Zurn Wellington personal protection was essential. And Geist could not kill for him or the Shinigami would die. And yet, the guns were merely for a deterrent. Like the Death Note, he wanted options to avoid a dire alternative. He would shoot to wound. Killing was a last resort.

Entering the orphanage, he followed Geist. He saw the blood trail on the floor, but it was not necessary to check on the dead teacher, and moved on.

He peeked through rectangular view windows on doors as he moved through the hallways, unlabeled rooms and classrooms. The school was forefront, while the dormitories were in the rear of the property. The orphanage was a place of learning for special and gifted kids.  
He looked in one classroom and saw a large group of kids with two gunmen, this was one place that Geist mentioned. He made note of the classroom, but he left them for the moment. There was no point in storming the room creating a relativity safe situation into an unstable one. Whatever the gunmen wanted, they had already made their point in killing someone, so they wouldn't hesitate in harming the children.

Moving along, he looked in the other classroom with the kids a little down the same hallway, this time with the smaller capacity, and a faculty teacher was inside with them with one gunman holding them hostage.

Now that he had confirmed the location of three out of the four gunmen, the only one left was in the Main Facilitator's Office, their leader.

The children were relatively safe and there was no point in destabilizing those situations, so he proceeded to the Main Facilitator's Office, where he heard voices. The leader was talking, but his voice was muffled as if wearing a mask. He heard money being demanded, speaking on a phone. He didn't know whose son the gunmen's leader demanded a ransom for? Everyone who lived at Wammy House had no parents.

Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from down the hall. It sounded like the squeaking of sneakers on a hard floor. Someone was down the next hallway and had seen him, then most likely ducked behind a corner about ten meters from the office. He ventured closer to the corner, guns raised. If he had too, he would try an alternative approach without shooting first.

Was it another gunman Geist had not seen? Even Shinigami could be fooled. They were gods of death, not the Almighty God.  
"Geist," Demetre whispered, pointing in the direction. "Go see who it is," he said.

But before Geist moved, the mysterious someone peaked out from the corner. It was a boy, and Demetre gasped in surprise at who it was.

"Demetre?" Matt said. He ran to Demmy and wrapped his arms around him like a big brother. "You got my message, I knew you'd come! Thank god! Men just stormed the orphanage and took everyone hostage, they even killed a teacher."

"I know," Demetre said. "You cracked my phone and sent that hand-pinky emoji to my friend's phone for me knowing it would get to me, that was clever. You knew I'd understand it." He holstered his left gun in the right holster and extended his left hand with the pinky out, Matt saw it and they shook a Pinky Friendship Shake. "Where did you find my phone?"

Matt back off a little. "Near L's grave. I went back a third time, hoping you were still there. Remember when I said you can call on me anytime, I realized I never gave you any contact information. That's when I found your phone. Your password wasn't hard to figure out, sorry I did that. It wasn't long after that the gunmen stormed the orphanage. I wasn't with the other kids, that's why I'm here, and I have kept out of sight."

"Good strategy, Matt," Demetre praised, ruffling his hair. "Now, can you tell me more detail of what is going on? I managed to get a general idea. Who is it that the gunmen are demanding a twenty-million dollar ransom for?"

Matt nodded. Then he proceeded to tell Demetre everything that he had witnessed thus far.

_To be continued..._


	4. Chapter III

After Matt explained to Demetre what he knew and what she had seen during the takeover of Wammy House by armed assailants, he then explained the situation involving Sammy Baxter, the child who the leader was demanding a random for.

"They want money for Sammy," Matt said. "His parents are filthy rich and are large contributors to Wammy House and other orphanages in the United Kingdom. His father is also on the Board of Directors. Sammy comes here to play with us and even goes to school here. Wammy House is place for gift children with high IQ's. Sammy's pretty smart in own rite. And he's great to have around when we have a soccer tournament."

Demetre nodded. "So, these gunmen are holding the kids at Wammy House as collateral along with Sammy Baxter to get a large ransom. Why aren't the police involved?"

"They we're told to stay away or kids would start dying, that's why you don't see any police presence," Matt said. "Ot, that's what I overheard, anyway. And there was something else involved, but I couldn't quite be sure on that part. It must have been very important, too. At times, it almost seemed like the leader of these gunmen was talking to himself."

"That's why it's so quiet," Geist said. Only Demetre could hear him. "I looked inside the office while I was scouting around earlier. The leader of the gunmen has a mask on, the Main Facilitator and the kid, Sammy, are inside, too, but Demetre, there's something _you really need to know_!"

Demetre noticed how Geist emphasize the words ' _you really need to know_ '.

"What do we do, Demetre?" Matt said, interrupting Demetre's thoughts.

Matt reached into the back of it pants and handed Demetre his phone back. Demetre holstered his other gun so he could have both hands free. He needed to think or his next move. He didn't want to go in there guns blazing or risk accidentally shooting Sammy or the Facilitator. He had an idea. The gunmen not knowing he was here gave him an advantage.

"We have free the others first," Demetre said. "The Facilitator of the orphanage and—"

"Roger," Matt said.

"Roger," Demetre repeated, "and Sammy are safe for the moment. The leader won't harm them if he wants his money. The kids and the other facilitators of the orphanage are our top priority right now. I noticed that these men are armed with military-grade weaponry."

"Yeah, cool stuff!"

Matt named off some of the names of the rifles they were using, quite familiar with them. Demetre gave him a curious look.

"I play a lot of RPG games and I've seen those weapons in action, I know what they can do," he said.

"Fair enough," Demetre said. For a moment, he thought Matt was one of those young gun enthusiasts who would eventually end up turning to crime. He didn't want that. "We need to take out the other gunmen, free the children, and then focus on the leader, in that order. The leader's reinforcements will be exhausted and he will be at a big disadvantage."

"Just like an RPG game," Matt said, a little too excitedly. "Take out the soldiers and then you fight the big boss."

"Something like that," Demetre replied.

Demetre stealthily put a hand behind his back and made some signals knowing that Geist would see them. They had designed them when they needed the element of surprise to get close to Zurn Wellington during one mission last month.

Geist chuckled. "Gotcha, Demmy," he said. "I'll take out the pair of gunmen while you concentrate on the lone gunman in the classroom. And don't worry, I won't kill them. I'll just make them see the error of their ways, perhaps spook them a little with my interpretation of a little scene from the movie _A Christmas Carol_ that you like so much."

Demetre smiled inwardly. And if he had to pick one, he would say that Geist was the ghost of _Christmas Future_ , because he came from a futuristic timeline to change the past, exactly what the spirits did in _the Christmas Carol_ to change Ebenezer Scrooge's miser ways.

"What can I do, Demetre? Sorry, Demmy," Matt said. "I can be useful to you. Give me one of your Beretta's. You've got two. Why are carrying anyway? Are you some sort of secret agent or something? If that's true, that's cool!"

He wasn't a secret agent, but he kind of felt like one when he went on missions against the LOD. "I use them for protection. To be honest, I've got involved with some bad people. But I'm not a bad person. And no, I won't give you one of my guns. You're not even old enough to shave."

Matt pouted. "Someday I'll have a pair of my own, I fancy car, and girls galore!"

"Kids are growing up faster these days," Geist said.

"Life isn't a game, Matt. But I admire your goals. Maybe you can help me out."

He wanted Matt to feel useful. He also needed to keep an eye on him, so he didn't just rush in and do something stupid and get himself hurt in trying to be a hero. Demetre reached for his belt and took out round cylinder container with a pin. "Do you know what this is?"

Matt shook his head. "It's a flash bomb and anyone caught in it is subjected to its concussion blast. You yank the pin out and then throw it in the vicinity of your desired target. Within five-seconds it goes off temporary disorienting a person. I'll give this to use to hold."

"Cool!" Matt took it in both hands as if it was a gentle piece of pottery. "I just yank out the pin and toss it at the bad guys?"

Demetre nodded. "Correct, and only at the gunmen, and not when there are any other kids present, and but only as a last resort. You can be my wingman, but stay back and let me handle things."

He had no intention of getting Matt in the thick of things, but he wanted to make the kid feel like he was helping. In truth, if it wasn't for Matt's ingenuity and hacking skills and sending the emoji through the phone, Demetre would not know anything about what was happening here.

Matt nodded and smiled like an overjoyed son wanting to make his father proud.

Both parties departed culminated with their missions.

Geist vanished through a near-by wall as Demetre and Matt headed to the classroom with the lone gunman.

Demetre unholstered his left Beretta as they travelled and kept a watchful eye for any surprises. If someone popped up on them, he could at least defend themselves and deliver a wound.

Luckily, they got to their destination without resistance.

He peaked through the door view window and saw there were approximately twenty kids inside with one teacher, all sitting on the floor. The lone masked gunman was standing with his back up against the blackboard. Amongst the kids, he observed Mello, the blonde haired boy who was at the funeral a few hours before. Near was not in this group.

Demetre got down on one knee and placed his gun down on the floor, then he reached into a pouch on his belt and took out a set of tools to work on the outer lock. The plan was to pick the lock and then corner the gunman, leaving him time to react. An element of surprise would be achieved.

"What else do you have in your arsenal?" Matt wondered. "Will a rabbit pop out of one of those belt pouches?"

Suddenly, they both heard Mello shout. They both peaked through the view window. "I can't take this anymore! What the hell do you want, asshole? You're keeping us here and not telling us anything!" Mello said to the gunman.

The gunman reacted and positioned his rifle in a threatening manner at Mello. "Sit down, kid," the gunman told him. "Or, I'll shoot you. Consider it 'Quiet Time' for you kids. Just sit down and shut up and eventually all of this will be over. When the police finally do come, we'll be long gone. However, if things go bad, then more blood will be spilled. Do you want to join your dead teacher?"

"Mello is a real hothead," Matt said quietly. "He needs to watch that temper, or one day it may get him killed."

_Damn it! They plan to sacrifice some of the children to get away,_ Demetre thought. _To hell with that and not on my watch!_

Demetre got to his feet and pushed Matt aside. Picking the lock would take too much time and he needed to get in their _now_!

He gave his lock-pick to Matt and unholstered his other gun. His new plan was to kick the door in and seize control of the room and force the gunman to see the folly of his ways if he tried to resist.

He knew how to fire a gun. He hunted wild game with the Yagami's when they had their annual sabbatical and always got the prize. Soichiro Yagami even admitted from past experience that he was an excellent shot when they spoke in the elevator in the Kira Task Force headquarters building just before he shot and killed Zurn's assassin hired to kill Light.

"Okay Matt, stay back! Time to get serious!"

But before he could even start, he heard Mello shout again. "I'm going to kick your ass! Holding a bunch of kids hostage is just cowardly!"

"Mello, _no!_ " shouted the teacher.

Shots were heard.

Demetre didn't hesitate and kicked the door in with us single slam of a heel. The door slammed open, breaking the housing. He pointed his guns at the gunman, who was now surprisingly sprawled unconscious on the floor.

Mello was standing over him, holding his right fist and rubbing it. Is face cringed with pain. Had he just punched the gunman out? Where had the shots come from? The rifle lay on the floor near the man's limp form.

Demetre looked at everyone in the room, no one had been shot. Then he saw holes in the ceiling. He theorized Mello struck him and the recoil caused the gun to turn upward, the gunman's fingers being on the trigger, the reaction involuntary.

"Mello, you clocked him out cold?" Matt voiced shocked, but excited, bursting in behind Demetre. "Way to go, you rock!"

_To be continued..._


	5. Chapter IV

All eyes were suddenly on Demetre as he stood there holding his Beretta's like a modern-day gangster. Everyone was frozen in place, probably wondering if he was a member of the gunmen since he was not the one who took the other out.

He cleared his throat and then holstered his guns quickly, crossing his arms.

"Who are you? Are you one of them?" Mello demanded. "We Wammy orphans are tougher than you think. You think you can just waltz right into where we live, our school, and start shooting up the place without any repercussions?"

Demetre looked around. No one was hurt, thank god. But things were beginning to escalate with Mello. "I'm not—"

Mello went for the gunman's rifle, then Matt bolted over and stopped him. "Hey, Mello! Take it easy. Demmy is one of the good guys. He came to rescue us. It's a long story; he was at L's funeral. I'll tell you about it later. I thought you were leaving right after the funeral?"  
"That was the plan, but I had a few additional things to pack, then these damn idiots stormed the orphanage and I was trapped here," Mello explained. "But mark my words, I'm going to catch Kira and make him pay! And prove that I am Number One. No one is going to stop me, especially Near—not one single goddamn person!"

"Mello, watch your language," the lone teacher scolded him. She sat with some of more scared orphans.

Demetre looked over. He had only seen her from afar and through the view window of the door during his initial sweep, but now he realized how strikingly beautiful she was. She was at least ten years older than him, if he guessed, with shoulder length auburn hair and a thin frame. She was dressed in a dark blue pantsuit with dark boots.

"Thank you for coming to our rescue," she then said to him.

Demetre nodded.

"Near's very smart, Mello, and he's a genius when it comes to puzzles," Matt said, grabbing Demetre's attention again. "I know you two have a rivalry, Mello, but he's been hand-picked succeed L. It was in L's Last Will and Testament."

Demetre knew that Near would succeed L, but it hadn't been revealed how. The timeline that he saw in Geist's _Portable Orb_ mainly focussed on events concerning Light and his subsequent battles with both L and Near. It could not reveal everything to him, so this was news to him.

"But maybe we should enlist his help?" Matt continued. "Because if you're going to fight Kira, then I'm with you all the way, buddy. I'm fourteen, and it's time I started making some real choices."

"Sure, welcome aboard," Mello said. "I could use a grunt man."

Matt frowned.

Demetre opened his mouth to refute, they were too young to strike out on their own, but then he remembered Adam, and he was only eleven years old, and had agreed to join him on his journey to track and hunt down Zurn Wellington with permission from _the Savant Society_. Demetre was nineteen, so technically, that made him Adam's official guardian. Not to say that he could force the kid to go to bed at a certain time, or not to eat so many marshmallows while he was conducting his internet searches—the pantry was stock with them.

Demetre couldn't believe some people stuffed their bodies with sugars and meats. A vegetarian diet was the best way to live. He had to supplement his diet with powdered protein, however, because he didn't get it naturally, a vegetarian by choice. But all that extra protein helped him develop a really strong body that he honed every other day with exercise. He became a vegetarian when he was ten years old, curiously enough, when he learned the details of Light's kidnapping by a child serial killer, who took their bodies to a meat-packing plant. Light would have been Yoma Yuta's next victim if it wasn't for the quick actions of the National Police Agency in Japan. ( _Ref: The Case of Jasper Yuta_ )

He would have to explain to Matt about his options later and how the law worked when it came to being considered an adult in different parts of the world. In Japan, both Mello and Matt we're still minors and needed guardians until their eighteen birthday, but in some cities and prefectures they were considered adults. The age of consent, however, was up for much debate.

Matt would have to reach sixteen before he could strike out on his own according to UK law unless he had a guardian.

Mello could not be more than fifteen, even though he was taller than a lot of the other orphans. And unless he had a guardian, he couldn't leave the orphanage either.

But it was not Demetre's concern. But he did know that Mello would become a formidable foe when it came to the fight against Kira in later years.

"So…" Mello began. "What's your deal Dominic? Got a last name? Or are you afraid of Kira?"

"My name is Demetre," he corrected Mello. "Just call me Demetre."

Just then, Mello spoke Russian. He was obviously trying to pull the same trick Matt had when they first met, his first name being Russian in origin. But this time, extreme profanity spewed out.

Demetre's brow rose, and Matt's mouth went agape, knowing what Mello said. Demetre just smirked, not taking any offence, because he knew the kid was just blowing off some steam. However, he was misdirecting his emotions towards the wrong person. Demetre then returned his words in kind and Mello's face went red, and probably from embarrassment, thinking that he had had an advantage. But the kid was wrong.

Mello looked to Matt. Matt shrugged. "Sorry, didn't have time to warn you," he said.

"I can speak several languages including Russian, French, English, Japanese, some Chinese, and one more: sign language—although I'm still learning there. Would you like me to demonstrate a particular, world-renown sign?" he said to Mello. "Fortunately, I only need one finger."

Mello laughed. "Okay, you've made your point," he said. "You can call me Mello. It's not my real name, of course. No one uses their real name anymore because of Kira."

"That's prudent strategy against an unknown killer," Demetre said. "Right now, you have to put your desire for revenge aside. I need your help me deal with the current situation."

The teacher and the other children got up off the floor. She then approached Demetre. "The gunmen separated us into two groups," she told him, but he already knew. "I don't know where they took the others, but they must be in another classroom close by. They stormed into the orphanage like a small militia. There are three more of them. One of the gunmen took a child that visits the orphanage on a frequent basis, Sammy Baxter. Both his parents are philanthropists and are large contributors to the orphanage. William Baxter is on the Board of Directors. No doubt they are holding Sammy for ransom. If you can do anything for him, please help Sammy."

Demetre nodded. It wasn't anything he didn't know before. And would be willing to do what needed to help to rescue the boy.

"Yes, Ms. Kristtcer," Matt said, "I told Demetre all this and more. Demetre, this is Ms. Kristtcer. She's new here, only been here a few days, but she's already familiar with the orphanage and the kids. If we didn't already know better, it was almost like she came prepared."

"I'm a teacher, Matt," she said, "and preparation is my business. I was hired by Roger Ruvie, who is the main facilitator of the to the orphanage, for a teaching position. I teach the kids social sciences and math."

Demetre nodded. "Take care of the kids, Ms. Kristtcer," he said. "Mello, Matt, I'm going to need your help. We have to rescue the others." _I wonder if Geist has scared the living crap out of the other gunmen yet?_

"Sure," Mello said eagerly, and then left the classroom with Matt, following Demetre. Then he asked, "What are you, some secret agent? You're decked out for some sort of civil war. And are those guns Beretta's?"

He was surprised Mello knew what kind of gun they were with only seeing them briefly. Maybe he was also a fan of RPG games? "Yes," Demetre replied, as they made their way down the hall to the other classroom, "and no, you can't have one," responding to an unasked question. If Matt and Mello were of similar minds, then no doubt that would be his next askance.

"What do you need from us?" Mello asked. "Before I leave the orphanage, I want to kick these gunmen's asses out of here! Anything I can do to help?" Mello them noticed what Matt was holding, a cylinder with a pin. "Is that a flash concussion bomb?"

Matt said, "Yup, Demetre gave it to me to hold and use in case we get into a sticky situation."

Mello turned to Demetre, when they got to the classroom with the rest of the kids. They hugged the wall on either side of the door. "So, what do you have for me?" he asked with a lower tone of voice. "Do you have another flash bomb?"

Demetre sighed. He figured this would happen when Mello saw what Matt was holding. Just like a typical kid, what he saw something someone else had, he wanted something too to be fair, or he would throw a temper tantrum.

"Don't be a child, Mello," Matt said, sounding mature. "And besides, these things are not toys."

Mello pouted, but did not make a fuss.

_Good_ , Demetre thought.

He took out a device from another pouch on his belt, a suction cup device he pressed to the door, unzipping a cord from the bottom, and put a receiver earbud to his right. He didn't want to look through the door view window this time. Instead, he wanted to listen to what was being said, and if Geist has done his job. To him, it was standard equipment now. It was a listening device that Adam had designed for him from plans he found on the internet. And it fit being well with his new life in espionage and secret operations when it came to hunting down Zurn Wellington. He humorously thought of Adam has his Quartermaster.

"I can't wait to see the rabbit," Matt whispered, comparing his belt to a magician's hat. "Do you hear anything?"

Indeed, he did, and precisely what he had hoped. All quiet.

"All clear, Demmy," Geist said, obviously aware that he was out in the hall. "And the door is unlocked. You can come in." Only he could hear the Shinigami's voice.

Demetre returned the listening device to a pouch on his belt, then opened the door. Geist stood in the middle of the room and only Demetre could see him. He also saw the two gunmen were unconscious on the floor. Demetre's eyes widened when he saw how they were positioned. They were face-to-crotch, and still holding their rifles.

"They decided to take a nap," the Shinigami said. "That's the way they fell, honest. They're aren't dead, just knocked out for a while."

"Near," Matt said, entering. "What happened?"

Mello surveyed the men on the floor. He went to the two gunmen and pushed both of them with a foot. They were out cold. Demetre saw the kid was eying the rifles. Mello looked at him, Demetre shook his head, and then Mello moved away.

"Okay, Near, spill it!" Mello demanded, his jealousy of Near coming through.

The silver-haired boy was sitting on the floor with one knee up, twirling a lock of hair in his right hand with a finger. It seemed to be a nervous twitch, or a form of OCD like biting one's nails or grinding teeth.

Near looked at Demetre, but didn't say anything to him. "It was strange," Near then said, responding to Mello, tilting his head as he talked, "they appeared to re-enact an old slapstick gag. If I recall, I believe it's called 'Noggin' Knocking'. One moment, they were just standing there, watching us. All of a sudden, they bumped heads and collapsed." Near's eyes narrowed. "I find it curious, it almost appeared like someone took their heads and smacked them together. I was looking directly at them at the time what happened. Quite puzzling indeed."

Demetre gave a slight glance to Geist.

The Shinigami said, "Yup, I bonked their heads together. I watched an old Three Stooges serial on television the other night while you were sleeping and that's where I came up with the idea. _Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk, wowowowowowo, surtainly._ "

Demetre shook his head and withheld a smile. It was one of the worst _Curly, Three Stooges_ impressions yet ever heard.

Demetre turned back and saw Near looking at him. He had a straight, but creepy stare, as if he was trying to read Demetre's thoughts. He needed to be careful with the kid. He wouldn't know about Shinigami until later. It was best not to give him an opportunity to know about them sooner.

"That's Near for you, just the facts," Matt said. "He loves puzzles, and there isn't one he can't solve. Maybe he will be good on the Kira Case?"

Mello scoffed. "I'm smarter that him! Near is just a robot and he's an arrogant SOB to boot!"

"Don't get so huffy, Mello," Matt said. "Don't be jealous, man. Near just does things differently."

"Correct," Near chimed in, turning away from Demetre. "Emotion is the enemy of logic. Conjecture and supposition can cloud the realm of what is true. What I saw with the gunmen was fact. What I may not have seen, because other children were in a direct line of sight of the gunmen's feet, is the possibility of one of them tripping over their own feet. If that is the case, that would explain how they knocked heads. Then again, that poses a theoretical inquiry that goes against factual data, therefore, witnesses would need to be called to verify such a thing happened."

Geist chuckled. "Oh, he's a strange one," the Shinigami said. "Light Yagami is going to have fun playing with him. You know, come to think of it, if a certain someone didn't get involved, Near would have been defeated, and Light would have won."

Demetre nodded. He knew who Geist was referring to, an over obsessive man who became a fan of Kira later, who Light eventually put his trust in. That man would eventually cause Light's downfall. But that wouldn't come until later. Unless something was changed.

If the timeline was changed now with himself an owner of a Death Note which Demetre was never a factor in the original _Kira Incident_ , would things be different for Light now? Could meeting Near here alter something important that would be needed to stop Kira in the future?

Demetre hoped not.

He never asked to be an owner of a Death Note, but he was one, nevertheless. He was now involved any events that originally did not involve him. Now he had to make sure he doesn't change things too much or _Kira_ could rule the world!

_To be continued..._


	6. Chapter V

Near got to his feet and stood toe-to-toe with Demetre. Demetre saw that everyone else in the classroom seemed no worse for wear, including an older male teacher who was huddled in the back with some kids.

Demetre now appeared the centre of attention and Near engaged him.

Demetre noticed the youth was dressed in casual attire, light grey slacks with a long sleeve shirt that looked one size to big for him. For a moment, they merely stared at one another, gauging each other, and seeing who would blink first.

Near produced a thin smile. "Thank you for coming to our rescue," he said. "Does our pseudo-saviour have a name?"

_Pseudo-saviour? As in would-be or wannabe—even a fake-hero? An Anti-Hero like Kira._ Demetre started to dislike this arrogant brat already.

"Demmy, I mean Demetre," Matt corrected himself; only his friends called him Demmy. "As for Demetre being here, it's a long story."  
"I would like to hear it." Near looked Demetre over. "You appear to have come quite prepared for a confrontation, Demetre. I don't like guns. Only savages use them. I prefer to use the power on my mind to solve a problem."

"That's not nice, Near," Matt chided him. "He attended L's funeral, but he stayed back out of respect for the rest of us."

"So, you knew L? In what capacity?" Near sounded eager.

Demetre knew this game. Near was acting like an investigator, asking questions to develop a personal profile.

"I spoke him once," Demetre said.

"Really? So, you spoke to L. You saw his face. What did you talk about? Did L tell you any details about what he was working on before he died? All his files were summarily deleted. We don't know what happened. We are completely in the dark. I am L's successor, so any information will help me build a case against Kira. I'll find him and execute him. But like I said, all details of the Kira Case are lost."

"Why would L delete his files?"

Near shrugged. "I would like to talk to you, Demetre, and perhaps gain some insight into events you may have been privy to as it regards to the Kira Case, or what you may have witnessed or experienced during the advent of Kira. I need a starting point that will eventually become the beginnings of my investigation into the ongoing issues of Kira."

Near was indeed an arrogant youth, but Demetre admired his tenacity and confidence. "I don't know what I can tell you," he answered, lying. "It was a casual conversation on my university campus, To-Ho University."

"To-Ho University," Near mused. "Thank you for that starting point. There had to have been a reason for L to visit. If you're not going to tell me any details, or refuse to, then I suppose I will have to make a visit there. But, just note, if I find you're hiding vital information, and choose to impede my investigation, then I will come after you, and have you arrested for aiding and abiding a criminal."

"Stop it, Near," Mello said. "He came here to help us, but you're treating him like the enemy. There still one gunman left, the leader, and he's taken Sammy Baxter. Where is he?"

"In Roger's office," Matt replied, "and he wants twenty-million dollars as a ransom. I overheard what the man asked for, his voice carried down the hall through the office door. He was a loud man."

"Or just aggressive," Near put in. "It stands to reason a ransom would be demanded for him, knowing how wealthy Sammy's parents are, and how much they have contributed to worthy causes. His parents are Social Industrialists. But there is an unasked question here: How did these gunmen know where to find him? Or perhaps that is obvious? They followed him."

"For someone so smart, sometimes you can really dumb, Near," Mello said. "Of course they followed him, that's painfully obvious. You American's can be quite—"

"Shut up, you idiot! That is important information no one outside our close-net should know! What if Kira found out?"

Mello gasped, slapped a hand him mouth.

"So, you're from America, Near?" Demetre said. Near stayed tight-lipped. "No need to be shy. I can see it now. And the reason why I can is because I was born in America, too. But I'm not going to tell you which state. I moved to Japan when I was five."

"Hey, Demmy," Geist said. "Do you think you should be revealing personal information like that to him?" It was obvious the revelation put Near on guard, but the reason why Near was an orphan would most likely remain a secret. "By the way, I need to tell you something really important about the leader of the gunmen, but I don't know if I should because it might cause a serious problem."

Demetre gave the Shinigami an inquisitive look, then he saw Near looking at him. He knew Near couldn't see Geist, but for now on since he had admitted to speaking with L and during the Kira Case, Near would be watching him like a hawk.

Just then, Geist reacted to something out in the hall. He turned his head and lumbered away. Demetre noticed this, but couldn't react to it, because Near was continuing to stare at him. Near was not like Adam, Near didn't have Adam's special gift. Yet Near had a similar gift, a natural ability of intuitiveness, and for an up-and-coming investigator, that was a prized asset.

"Um, hey, Demmy," came Geist's voice. "I think we have a problem here. You better come and take a look. You're not going to believe it!"

Demetre sighed, then said, "Matt, Mello, Near, I'll trust you to look after the other kids for me for a moment. I need to do something alone." He looked at the male teacher at the back of the room. "It doesn't look like your teacher is capable of the responsibility currently. He looks shocked."

"He was shot at, the bullet going into the wall next to him as a warning," Near revealed. "Naturally, one would be shaken."

"I want to come with you," Mello urged. "Let Near babysit the others."

"If Mello is going, then I am, too," Matt said firmly.

Demetre knew that Mello and Matt had a brotherly bond, he could see it in their faces and how they reacted to one another. In the future, they would be close, and they would be an interesting pair in the battle with Kira, branching off in a separate kind of investigation, and would engage in nasty tactics in an attempt to outwit Kira and to outsmart Near. But it would also get them into a lot of trouble.

The future was fluent. Since Demetre entered the fray and was in possession of his own Death Note, things that he was shown in the timeline from Geist may or may not come to pass as they originally played out. But he wasn't worried about the future, his only concern was the present, and Sammy Baxter. If he could prevent some tragedies, then he would. It would be atonement for getting Dana killed.

"Just give me a few moments to myself, okay?" Demetre said. "I'll be back. Promise."

Demetre smiled at the trio as he departed the classroom, shutting the door behind him. He felt like he was their big brother, and naturally, they would want join him wherever he went, never missing a moment of the excitement.

But the moment he stepped out into the hallway with Geist, he halted in his tracks, glad that he come out alone.

A bizarre sight befell him, a Shinigami hovered above the floor with a plume of pink smoke beneath its feet. It had blue skin and its body was completely wrapped in leather binds with pins sticking out of its skull. It looked like something out of an old horror movie. The one anatomically distinct feature was that it was female. It was also thin and exhibited healthy and bare breasts and black nipples.

"Greetings, Demetre Draycott, and the Shinigami Geist," the female god of death spoke cordially. "You are able to see me because I wish it, otherwise you would have to touch my Death Note. At the moment, the children in the classroom are fine. I was to teacher you spoke to."

"Ms. Kristtcer?" Demetre said. When he first heard her name, something didn't sound right, but it let it slide due to the situation, now he figured it out. "I understand now. Your name is an anagram, a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word to make a new one. It wasn't hard to substitute the letters into a suitable arrangements to make a proper word— _Trickster_."

The Shinigami smiled. "Very good, Demetre Draycott," she said. "That is indeed my name. A name given to me from birth by the Shinigami King. He gives all Shinigami a new name after they are born, what you humans call reincarnation. We were all once other entities. I'm a rare form of Shinigami and I'm able to manipulate my form into whatever or whoever I wish. Basically, all Shinigami have the ability to blend in with human beings disguised as one of you, it is our way to interact with our prey before stealing a life span. There are a few others who look like me, some who believe in the sanctity of life, some do not. And not all Shinigami are lumbering Neanderthals."

"Hey! I take offence to that crack," Geist protested, reaching behind his back and pulling out his boneclub, a weapon he carried around with. "Call me that again and I'll smash you!"

"Geist, settle down," Demetre said, but he could understand the comparison. Geist did have that way about him. "Let's see what she has to say."

Geist snorted and returned his boneclub to its holster on his back. "Fine, take the pretty, blue skin, pink-cloud floating, bare-breasted, Shinigami's side," he said sullenly.

Demetre returned his attention back to Trickster. It was a good thing no one else could see her or they would be frightened by her appearance. He as familiar with Shinigami because of Geist, so he was not intimidated by her. And he had to admit, she was quite attractive for a god of death.

Trickster put up the hand. "Please, know that I am not your enemy," she declared, "and I came to you as a courtesy to issue a warning. You are in grave danger here, Demetre Draycott. There are forces out to get you. _The League of Darkness_ have been watching you with scrutiny and have found interest in your resistance to use the Death Note despite its awesome power. Unlike _Kira_ , you intrigue them to the extent that they may wish to offer you a hand to join them."

"I know all about _the League of Darkness_ and their agenda and I will have no part of them. I have also made a vow that I will not use the Death Note, despite owning one. I will not use it for personal gain."

Trickster cocked her head inquisitively. "Then why keep it? Why not simply relinquish ownership?"

"I keep it because I am needed in this fight against the forces of evil. If I ignore everything, and simply relinquish ownership, then the LOD wins. I know there are others out there who are in this same fight. This is a battle for the world. I am not only fighting _the League_ , I'm also keeping a certain _someone else_ at bay, and he knows it. Both need to be stopped."

Trickster nodded. "I believe I understand," she said. "We Shinigami talk with each other in the Human World, and I am familiar with your struggles and your hardships. Rarely have I come across, in all the years, such a noble human being."

"That's where you're wrong," Demetre stated. "I'm very selfish. I keep ownership of the Death Note to preserve a world the way it is, so it doesn't fall into darkness, on multiple fronts. I'm in no way a noble person."

Demetre thought of Light at that moment. Despite everything that had happened between them, he still knew there was good in Light. Despite unproven, he believed Light was being possessed by entity not unlike a devil, and not the Shinigami Ryuk.

"Do not sell yourself short, Demetre Draycott," Trickster said, in response to Demetre's ill-nobility remark.

"A lot of heart attacks around the world have been attributed to Kira," Demetre continued, "and I believe that is just the beginning of a larger agenda by another source. People with no underlying causes are dying, hundreds of thousands in the past two years alone and not just criminals. People in prominent positions of power are dying now and _the League of Darkness_ is trying to assert their dominance in high society for a power shift. Those who do not agree with their philosophy, die. But those who see the next evolution of humankind are rewarded. When death is the only alternative to joining their ranks, there is only one choice to make. _The League_ must be stopped! And I must find the man who murdered my beloved Dana, who hides amongst them. Only then can she rest in peace. But I will do it without killing."

"Then you have a difficult task ahead of you, Demetre Draycott, if you choose to enact justice without committing acts of evil."

"I will enact justice through deliverance and redemption. There are evils in this world that should not be allowed to exist."

"Um, Demmy," Geist began, "this is interesting at all, but I _really_ have to tell you something. When I looked into Main Facilitator's Office to see the gunman, and saw the boy, Sammy Baxter, and Roger Ruvie—even though the gunman was wearing a mask—I couldn't see his lifespan."

"What?" Demetre snapped his attention to Geist. "Then that means he owns a Death Note. Did you see his name?"

Geist nodded.

But when the Shinigami told him the man's name, Demetre legs nearly collapsed from beneath him.

_To be continued..._


	7. Chapter VI

When Geist told Demetre the leader's name, Demmy felt like someone had just stabbed him in the heart.

Feelings of rage and revenge coveted his body as memories of that moment where Zurn Wellington murdered Dana on top of the Kira Task Force headquarters building came flooding back.

He mentally screamed, shutting his eyes, and clenched the butts of his guns so tightly that it hurt his hands. But after a moment of clouded fury, he opened his eyes with clarity of thought. He pushed all heated emotions down into his gut. He had to be collective if he was to save Sammy Baxter and he couldn't allow his emotions to distract his goal.

"Why is Zurn here?" He asked, but of no one in particular. "And why kidnap the boy?" He looked at Trickster. "Shinigami, to whom do you serve?"

Trickster cocked her head. "My presence here is not nefarious in nature, Demetre Draycott. As you recall, I'm a teacher at this school, and I only recently arrived. That should give you a clue. But I will not subject you to a guessing game. I was asked to undertake the job by another. I belong to William Baxter, Samuel's father. He is a member of _the Savant Society_ , and since his son often visits the orphanage to learn and play with the other children, I was asked to watch over him due to a recent warning the family was issued from an unknown source. The police will eventually get involved. By that time, however, Zurn Wellington, your enemy, if you had not become involved here, would have been long gone before that and this would have been chalked up to yet nothing more than a hostage random incident."

Demetre nodded. "But how many people, Facility members and children, would they have been sacrificed to get what they want?" _And if certain events didn't come into play, such as losing my cell phone and Matt finding it, then messaging Adam, and alerting me of the incident._ "Something doesn't feel right. All this for money? Zurn is a member of _the League of Darkness_ , and I highly doubt they would approve of this venture. There has to be something else to this plot?"

"Not to mention Prometheus, Zurn's Shinigami, would know that Trickster is here, and told him about you," Geist added. "But he would know that you're not able to help any of the children, including Sammy Baxter, because if you get involved, and killed, you would die."

"That is correct, Geist," Trickster stated. "Therefore, it is fortuitous that you, Demetre, came along, and are as prepared as you are, a hero, to save the masses. Or, if you believe in it, this could all be a coincidence?"

"I don't believe in them," Demetre said. "My philosophy is everything happens for a reason." _I supposed Light and I have that in common, but for different reasons._ "God works in mysterious ways and I was meant to come here. Everything that has occurred is according to a perfect design."

Geist shook his head. "There is no possible way that _your_ God could know this would happen and work things in a way for you to be here to 'save the day'. That is not how the universe works."

Demetre reached into his shirt and took out his crucifix that was on a chain that hung around his neck. It was a present from his parents, he never took it off. He kissed it. Then let it drop in full view over his shirt.

"Then you need to have more faith, my friend," he said sagely. "God is the Alpha and the Omega. He knows all and can do all. And if God has chosen me to save these children, then I will not shirk from the task. God has always been my shining grace and the _reason_ for my being. _For I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future_ , Jeremiah, Chapter 29:11; Amen."

"Quoting Bible verses again? How about some sort of battle cry to get you pumped like your Christian crusades of old?"

Demetre looked at Geist with curiosity. He could see just above the Shinigami's eyes a pair of steampunk goggles Geist always wore. It had always been a part of his ensemble, but now this somewhat prominent feature was brought down over the Shinigami's eyes as if to accept an unspoken call to action. Geist said he would always be at his side if Demetre needed him, obviously he was ready.

Demetre readied his guns, taking them out of their holsters with crossed arms. He felt like a gunslinger able to go into battle. Geist was right. This did call for some special words. But he told himself there would be no bloodshed.

The Old Testament had a lot of angriness and hatred, but Demetre knew God was not a vengeful entity. He was kind and forgiving, and he needed to heed to that philosophy. He could not go in there with vengefulness against Zurn in his heart, but with clarity and forthright, or the boy could die. Therefore, he decided he would not cite a battle cry but words of a more inspirational nature. And besides, the Crusades were long over.

He cleared his throat.

"' _Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are those who are prosecuted for righteousness, safe, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven'_ Matthew: Chapter 5, verse 31."

Geist scratched his head confused. "Not much of a battle cry," he said. "I was hoping for something more heart pounding and savagery."

"Very inspiring, Demetre Draycott," Trickster said. "You are indeed quite a remarkable human. A rare breed amongst your peers. Bless you in this endeavour. I will watch over the children. They believe that I have stepped outside into the hallway to make a phone call."

The Shinigami reverted back to its human form, the auburn hair teacher Demetre saw earlier. She smiled, then re-entered the classroom and shut the door.  
"Come on, Geist," Demetre said. "Time to take out the trash."

"Now you're talkin'!"

Just then, the door to the classroom with the bulk of the children swung open and Near looked out. Demetre knew he had shut the door completely when he left, but he didn't hear the handle turn to open the door. How long had Near been listening or even watching?

"Demetre Draycott, where are you going?" Near said. "And with whom were you speaking with?" Near looked down the hallway from left to right. "I heard breaks in conversation, a one-sided converse, per se, but only bits and pieces of it. You asked questions to someone now gone. And who is Zurn Wellington? From the tone of your voice, he sounds like someone you dislike. And 'geist' is another word I heard; it's another word for poltergeist or spirit. Are you in league with ghosts, Demetre? There is medication you can take if you believe you are suffering from delusions and experts in the field with promising research in shock treatment." Near smirked.

"He's an arrogant little twerp, isn't he?" Geist said irked. "Better keep a close eye on him, Demmy."

Demetre nodded. "Go back to the classroom, Near," he insisted, making it sound like an order. "I have something I need to take care of. Tell Matt and Mello that I'll be back soon and not to worry."

Near eyed him, and then said, "Don't get yourself killed, Draycott," he said straightly. "You are a very interesting person, and I would like to get to know you more. When I head the New Kira Task Force, perhaps I will call upon you…for informational purposes. You seem to have an understanding of issues that I am not yet aware of. I'll need allies, people I can trust in to catch Kira. Kira won't stay hidden from me for long when I begin to make special provisions to catch him. God speed, as religious fanatics would say. And I will see you soon, I hope."

Near returned to the classroom and shut the door.

Demetre sighed. "I don't like that kid," he said with an annoyance. "He reminds me of Light."

* * *

Demetre and Geist proceeded to the Main Facilitators Office, or Roger's Office, as Matt had said. But for simplicity state, and so he would not become personally involved in using names, he called it the MFO.

And once again he found himself listening at the door, but with his listening device. He could listen with clarity and heard everything that was taking place in the office. From a secluded corner, Geist peeked through the wall and confirmed that it was indeed the Zurn Wellington underneath the mask, the leader of the gunman who had taken the Wammy House orphanage hostage.

The question still remained: what was the purpose of this plot by Zurn? Why did he need the money, and why did the LOD approve of this? They were questions to be answered after he rescued the facilitator of the orphanage and Sammy Baxter. And if he had to, he would push a barrel of one of his Beretta's down Zurn's throat for him to answer.

He felt a little nervous, the feeling of butterflies in the stomach made him a little ill. He didn't know why he was feeling this way, but this was the first time he had come up against Zurn since the rooftop of the old Kira Task Force headquarters building. Adam had used his skills to track him to countless points around the world, but every time they got close to Zurn he would either have already fled, or was in the process of fleeing, and left others to mask his escape.

Adam had tracked him to Winchester, England, and Demetre had used a Shinigami portal to seek the villain out. But he had just missed Zurn, supposedly. Since he was already there, he had bought some flowers and went to place them on L's grave. He thought L had already been buried, but he was wrong, and then witnessed the funeral procession first hand.

The ironic thing was he wasn't sure what he would do when he found the murderous bastard. He carried a pair of handcuffs with him in one of the belt pouches, but where would he take the Zurn? Back to _the Savant Society_ for punishment?

And yet, the man whom he sought was right behind the door now.

He had to take Zurn down without killing him. The Death Note was not an option even though he carried a couple of pages with him. Zurn was protected by the Death Note, using his own trickery to do so—much like Demetre did for himself. This made it extremely difficult to seek justice on him. Therefore, the old-fashioned way was the only way. Demetre swore he would never again kill with a supernatural book, only using it once to kill a mugger who threatened his life when he first picked it up.

Unless, and it was only as a last resort, it was needed here to protect the children. He would not hesitate to use it to protect innocent lives.

In hindsight, he wished he had done better research on Light's enemies when he first looked at the timeline in Geist's portable orb, but he'd only concentrated on L and the task force and Zurn was no where to be seen. Hence, the timeline had been changed because of Demetre picking up a Death Note. Zurn Wellington was not a prominent figure in the 'Kira incident' and only became such when Demetre became involved.

_I blame myself for getting you killed, Dana. No one else is at fault. And no one else will die by my hands if it can be helped._

He put the listing device away and readied to himself with his twin Beretta's. Geist would know his position, and he turned to the Shinigami to ask, so when he barged in, he would know where to point his guns.

Suddenly, the Shinigami popped his head out of the wall, and shouted, "Demetre! Get down!"

Geist literally leapt at him. Demetre hit the ground hard as a volley of bullets smashed through the wooden door of the MFO. One bullet even bounced off Geist's boneclub and ricocheted downwards, hitting the floor inches from Demetre's face.

Geist grabbed him and Demetre was hauled away from the door across the floor to a safer place down the hall.

"Demmy, are you okay?" the Shinigami asked him.

Demetre nodded, as he lay on the floor looking up. He was literally looking into the face of death, but strangely enough, it wasn't frightened in the slightest.

_To be continued..._


	8. Chapter VII

"Demetre Draycott!" came a loud voice through the door after the firing ceased. "I know you're there! Come and face me, boy!"

"Prometheus must have alerted him to my presence," Geist said. "Sorry, I spoiled the element of surprise for you."

"No, thank-you for saving me, Geist," Demetre said with a smile.

Recovered from the shock of the bullet, Demetre got to his feet, reasserted himself, and gripped both his guns firmly again.

Geist turned back. Conventional human weapons could not kill him, bullets could not harm him, so he could stand directly in a volley and not be touched, his form turning transparent. But if he remained solid, despite the bullets not being able to harm him, they would bounce off and ricochet, which was what happened when the bullet nearly hit Demetre on the floor. He literally saved a human, but he not turn to dust.

"I'll distract him," Geist said. He reached behind his head and took out his boneclub from its holster. "While, I'm doing so, save the boy and the facilitator of the orphanage. Zurn and Prometheus will be able to see me, but only they will—the others won't. I hope I am not stealing your thunder and taking charge here?"  
"Never Geist," Demetre said thankfully. "Your assistance and efforts are greatly appreciated. Sounds good, let's do it!"

Just then, something crashed through the office bullet-ridden door and wrapped itself around Geist. The Shinigami stumbled back as he fought against Prometheus in the form of a gigantic python.

Geist fought for control, but Prometheus coiled around him, squeezing him, his arms and legs locked together, until he lost balance and fell. The only thing that protected his face was his boneclub that he held and that was secured within the coiled form of Prometheus with him as villainous Shinigami bared sharp fangs and tried to bite into Geist's head and face.

"Geist!" Demetre cried out, as he saw the humongous snake coiled around his Shinigami friend. He didn't know what to do!

He had never seen Prometheus in person, but he had heard rumours that this was the Shinigami's main form—one of many. And he could see the Shinigami for some reason without touching its Death Note. Shinigami could do that to those they wanted others to see them. Prometheus no doubt wanted Demetre to see him for fear factor.

The Shinigami was an Ethereal type, mostly spiritual in nature, having lost its body years ago for an unknown violation, Demetre had been told, through information provided by the Savant Society. The Shinigami King had the ability to punish Shinigami for crimes committed. But could take solid form for brief periods of time. It was not only a large python right now, but was the size of the largest snake known in the natural world: an Anaconda, black in colour with red strips down its scaly sides. Anacondas did not have teeth, they enveloped their prey and dissolved it in their stomach, but Prometheus had a set of demonic razor sharp teeth in its mouth.

The boneclub protected Geist's face from its bites, so when Prometheus could not clamp down on the other that way, and even though the sound of bone cracking was heard in squeezing Geist's body, the Shinigami then used another weapon in its arsenal— _fire breathing!_

Prometheus belched out fire from its mouth giving purchase to its namesake of the Greek god,who gave the gift of fire to humans.

Geist avoided the erupting flame and rolled around to prevent Prometheus from launching another attack.

"Demmy, don't worry about me!" Geist said. "Go get Zurn!"

Geist used a lot of strength in his shoulders and stretched his arms out to make space within Prometheus's coiled form. He then removed his arms and grabbed Prometheus's throat. The Shinigami lunged at his face and snapped its jaws, while conversely whipping its serpent tongue that when touched Geist in any way caused an acidic reaction that burned and blackened bone.

Demetre trusted Geist, he knew it looked bad, but he knew Geist would not die in fighting Prometheus. He gripped both Beretta's tightly and then entered the MFO, pointing his guns directly at Zurn.

But the villain was ready for him.

Zurn had Sammy Baxter pressed against him like a shield with a large rifle pressed against the boy's temple. It was a high grade weapon, one Demetre had seen before when he was scouting weapons for himself to use. He settled on the twin Beretta's. Zurn's weapon was a member of the Scorpion calibre family, a pistol with a long arm chamber and a large magazine.

Zurn was unmasked now. His identity already known, there was no need to hide it any longer. Demetre saw out of the corner of his eyes the facilitator of the orphanage, Roger, unconscious on the floor with a small puddle of blood flowing from his head. Demetre did not see a bullet wound, so the man was most likely hit with the gun and dropped.

Demetre pointed his guns at Zurn, the coward hiding behind Sammy Baxter. He had to save the boy at all costs.

Zurn laughed. "Well, look at you," he said, nodding. His brow raised as if impressed. "Quite the change since last we met face-to-face. You've come up in the world. I've noticed you,chasing me around with your band of maverick hunters and now you've even armed yourself. Twin Beretta's, nice choice. When I was a member of the National Police Agency in Japan, I carried a custom weapon, but when I was relieved of my duties, it was confiscated. Too bad, it was a beauty, too—like those you have. I fled custody, and joined _the League of Darkness_ officially. It's too bad you never saw the light before I killed your sweetheart." He chuckled. "But who do you think you are, some sort of vigilante?"

"Only when it comes to you, Zurn," Demetre replied hotly at the mention of him killing Dana. Demetre noticed that Zurn had bulked-up and he looked very much like a linebacker on a football team, broad shouldered and chested. "You killed Dana, and for that, you're going to pay! There's a special place in Hell for people like you, and one day I'll send you there first class."

Zurn chuckled. "So, what now? The ransom has been sent for the kid. As one would say in chess, you're in check."

Demetre looked at Sammy Baxter. "Are you okay, Sammy?" Sammy nodded. Demetre holstered his left gun and lower the other one at his side. Zurn was right, and as long as he had the Scorpion pointed at the boy's head, Demetre couldn't do anything. "Let the kid go and then we can settle things between us, Zurn. But I have to ask, why the ransom? I never thought you the type for blackmail?"

"My other gig was shut down by Interpol, selling organs on the black market was very profitable, so I needed another avenue of capital," Zurn said. "Some wretched special investigator within the Savant Society ruined everything for me teaming up with Interpol and the ICPO. Since I was once the main enforcer for the Society, I know where all the bodies are buried, therefore, blackmail was the next logical step. Funny thing is, this is my first venture with it. Who'd to think I would meet you here? The fates are aligned for us to face each other time and time again, eh?"

_That was the problem with trusting someone implicitly with important information and then to have that person betray you,_ Demetre thought, about the Savant Society _. Zurn has all their names, so he can go through the list and blackmail them all._

Zurn obviously saw an opportunity and took it when he learned that one of the prominent members of the Savant Society had a child who attended and played with orphans unprotected. It was no wonder that Trickster was here at this time.

The man suddenly began laughing like a megalomaniac. "You know what, this is perfect!" Zurn said. "You're a religious person, Draycott, so you believe everything happens for a reason, right? We could be doing this _Sempre e par sempre_ , forever and always, until death do us part?"

Demetre frowned. "There is a difference between us, Zurn," he said seriously. "When I finally die, we'll be going out separate ways. I will ascend to the heavens while you will burn in hell for all eternity!"

"So, how do you really feel about me, Demmy?" Zurn said mockingly. "Isn't that what your friends call you? Come on, tell me from your heart."

"Such words shall not be spoken in front of an impressionable child."

But just then, a series of the most vulgar and foul words came out of Sammy Baxter's mouth that made everyone stare, even the Shinigami took a momentary pause.

"Ha! Out of the mouths of babes!" Matt's voice came from down the hallway. "You've been spending too much time with Mello, huh, Sammy?"

Matt couldn't see the Shinigami in a death throe on the floor near him.

Suddenly, Prometheus began to uncoil its form from around Geist and slithered towards Matt, a new enemy, and probably one of opportunity to use as another hostage, but Geist quickly got to his feet and held the serpent Shinigami at bay, grabbing hold of its snake body tightly.

"Oh no, you don't, you slippery snake!"

"Sammy! Demetre! Get down!" Matt then shouted, as he pulled the pin out to the flash bomb.

Both Prometheus and Geist looked at the boy in awe.

Demetre's eyes widened when he saw it leave the boy's hand with all the strength he could muster thrown towards the open door of the MFO. It passed through the Shinigami without friction.

"Sammy, shut your eyes and clamp down your ears, quickly!" Demetre told him, looking back.

Sammy Baxter dropped to the floor and did exactly what Demetre told him, Demetre followed suit just seconds before it went off. Zurn was stunned even before the flash bomb detonated. It exploded with a bang and a bright flash of light.

There was a loud scream from Zurn and a heavy thud.

Demetre opened his eyes just after that blast. He saw Zurn's rifle on the floor, it being the heavy thud he heard.

Zurn screamed out in agony and put his hands to his eyes, then his ears—the flash had blinded him, and blood began to exit from his ears. He had received the full intensity of the blast. He started to move haphazardly around the office, then dropped to his hands and knees completely disoriented. "Shit! My eyes! I can't see anything! Prometheus, _help_!" he shouted.

Demetre saw Sammy on the floor, the kid still had his hands over his ears, but he had his eyes open now, aware of Zurn's stunned fit. He quickly scurried away when Demetre waving him over.

Then he and Demetre escaped the office.

"Master!" Prometheus cried out. The Shinigami immediately then turned and slithered quickly to Zurn.

Zurn got to his feet, but continued to stagger, blinded and deaf. The effects of the flash bomb would only be temporary, but he would feel like that for a least a couple of hours. The device was designed to generate a quick explosion of light with a concussion effect after a pre-programmed five-second delay. It was yet another wonderful invention Adam had made from plans he found on the internet.

It was then, the Shinigami opened up a spacial portal, and both it and Zurn entered, Zurn carried within Prometheus's serpentile form, and then the portal shut.  
Matt and Sammy had been out of sight of it, but Demetre and Geist has seen it. Zurn once again escaped, but he would not soon forget about this encounter and would no doubt be back.

Sammy flopped to the floor a little dazed, the flash bomb had affected him more than he knew. Matt went to kneel at his side.

Demetre also went to him. "Sammy, it'll be okay," he said. "The effects will wear off soon, you only received a mild dose. That's why I told you to shut your eyes and clamp your ears with your hands, but you must have been too close to the flash bomb."

"I have such a headache," Sammy then said, clutching his head.

"I'm sorry, Sammy," Matt said. "And I'm sorry, Demmy. I know Sammy was well within the blast radius, but I had to do something. The jerk had the rifle pressed to Sammy's head and he was going to shot!"

"I know," was all Demetre said. He was not going to scold Matt. He did what he felt was right. Sammy would be all right.

It was then, Demetre looked up and saw both Mello and Near staring at him from down the hall in direct view of the MFO.

What had they seen?

_How the heck will I explain all this?_

_To be continued..._


	9. Chapter VIII

When the police arrived, followed by the media, those people who are most prominently involved in the events of the hostage-taking were questioned. And the dead body of the teacher was removed.

The full story of what truly happened at Wammy House would not be known. And no doubt, there will be a lot of speculation. Lucky for Demetre, there were no cameras where he went, so he slipped out unnoticed. He wouldn't need to explain anything to the others. It was better that way.

He lied to the others and said he had to use the restroom, but while he was there, Geist opened up a Shinigami spacial portal, and they made their escape back to the cabin the woods in Hokkaido-Jozankei Forest in Japan nearly six-thousand miles away and half way across the world.

News broadcasts in the UK had the assault their headliner, then it was picked up by other media outlets around the world. It was big news because it involved a hostage-taking of an orphanage.

Demetre couldn't have imagined that trying to retrieve his phone would lead to encounter with Zurn. The events were bizarre, to say the least. But he was glad to could help prevent a tragedy in the making and deal a blow to Zurn at the same time.

He told Adam everything, and Adam briefed members of _the Savant Society_ about the incident—that Zurn could target their families in a similar fashion in the near future at any time. This put the entire Society on alert, but Demetre knew it was in good hands now with its newest enforcer. A woman with lots of experience in the field and a crafty person, a former FBI agent by the name of Naomi Misora.

She was also the one who helped expose Zurn for being the second coming of Jack the Ripper, the fiend who was harvesting organs of homeless people and selling them on the black market.

Demetre learned a great deal of her past was gone subjected to permanent amnesia. She knew her name, but that's about it.

Adam had had a hand in that, entering her mind with his special ability and blocking out painful memories. Because Kira had targeted her and written her name and a Death Note, her mind was filled with chaos—wanting to commit self-harm. Filled with agony and pain after the death of her fiancé who was also killed by Kira, Raye Penber, she had been taking back to _the Savant Society_ , and Adam helped her to forget nearly everything except a select few things, like her name. Her 'memory muscle' also remained, the part of her that was a detective.

She was originally put on the case to hunt down a Jack the Ripper murderer. Thanks to multiple tips to Interpol, and countless police investigations with the assistance of the ICPO, mainly by Naomi, Zurn's killing spree ended, but he escaped prosecution.

Because of her actions and her skills, _the Savant Society_ offered her the job as its new head enforcer, but for obvious reasons, she was not told about the Death Note, because if she touched one then her old memories would return.

In a two-way communication on his laptop in the cabin Study with Demetre standing behind him, Adam spoke to their contact at the Savant Society, a man called Tacoma, who was on the Council. He was sitting in a chair while Naomi was standing behind him. She was a beautiful woman with long dark hair, and smart as a whip, even though most of her personal memories were gone.

"Now that the Society members know of Zurn's actions, I'm sure everyone will be on guard," Adam said.

"Our other enforcement unit is already spread thin," Naomi replied. "It will be difficult to protect every member of the _Society_. Zurn has the ability to attack any one of them with _the League of Darkness_ behind him."

Adam paused. Then Naomi leaned over, holding the back of Tacoma's chair. She smiled. "I know all about them, Adam," she said. "And I know about the Death Note. I have one of my own now."

"B-but, how? Your memories?"

"I was told that my name was written in a Death Note by Kira, by Light Yagami, he knew that I had caught on to him, so he tried to kill me. I want to thank you for saving me, Adam, and thanks to that little trick that Demetre knows to protect me from future Death Note attacks, I will now be able pay back Kira ten-fold for killing Raye." She then went on to explain that her Shinigami had secretly visited Light Yagami in the middle of the night and used a 'cross-out' method to erase the effects of the Death Note on her, so her full memories could return without pain. Then she wrote her own name in her death note using Demetre's 'infinity' trick, by this method she could not be killed by another Death Note.

Demetre smiled. "I'm glad to have you fully on board with us, Naomi," he said. "We can always use powerful allies against _the League of Darkness_. And you're going to make a wonderful new head enforcer for _the Savant Society_. I've heard that some people have left to join the League, that's unfortunate, and I'm sure they were threatened. One has to make their own decisions and family comes first. Hopefully, in future encounters with the LOD, we can restore their faith and they'll return like a wandering flock back to a herding shepherd."

"I don't think it bodes well in calling the members of the _Society_ sheep, Demetre," Naomi said. "But I get your meaning. Stay in contact, and I'm glad you got your phone back. Zurn targeting those kids as a side venture was just sick!"

"I agree, and he'll pay one day," Demetre said. "I guess we both have persona vendettas. But merely catching Light and Zurn will prove difficult. If we don't do it smartly, we could look like the bad guys. Zurn has powerful allies, and if we are not careful, _the League of Darkness_ and Kira could join forces one day and dominate the planet even though their philosophies differ. They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend. We can't allow them to pool their forces, so we need to fight them together to stop their diabolical plans."

Naomi agreed, and for the next hour, they formulated plans of attacks and preparations for the next encounter with their enemies.

A couple of hours later, Demetre sat on the couch in front of the stone fireplace in the main area and flipped through the picture gallery of his phone. He was glad to have his phone back, and the pictures of him and Dana it contained. He thought he had lost them. All the memories they made together at _the Savant Society_. He knew they could easily be downloaded to an internet account by Adam, but he was glad to have the phone back that he took the pictures with.

He had made a specific gallery for all their pictures and it contained more than fifty. Most of them were casual selfies, but a few of them were not for prying eyes. One could consider them adult in nature and he hoped Matt had not scrolled through them.

Adam was in a one-seater chair next to Demetre typing on his laptop with Cerberus sleeping at his feet. And it suddenly occurred to him that he had not seen Geist or Angel for some time since they had returned from England.

"Do you know where Geist and Angel are, Adam?"

The boy shook his head. "When Geist returned, he and Angel left to go someplace, they enjoy spending time together just like a real couple. Maybe they're discussing the newest 'Deathscythe Hardware'?"

Demetre smiled. "Thanks," he replied, then got to his feet in search of the pair.

He didn't particularly want to ask them anything, he was just curious where they had gone. He had become the unofficial guardian of their ragtag family and just like a parent, he wondered where they were. Maybe they weren't even at the cabin? He even thought.

He entered the study.

Just then, he heard noises coming from out on the back deck, splashing noises from the jacuzzi. He opened a pair of double doors and found a naked human pair within. He was surprised, and even apologized to them backing away, giving the mysterious couple their privacy. Then his brief lapse in memory that no one else lived at the cabin other than himself, Adam, and the three Shinigami, hit him. Who were these strangers?

His eyes widened. He went back. "Oh my god! Angel? Geist?"

Both human: Angel was thin-framed and had shoulder-length blond hair with hefty breasts. Demetre could see her this way apart from her Shinigami form. Geist, on the other hand, was more broad shouldered and muscular, similar to a sumo wrestler, the complete opposite of what Demetre imaged the Shinigami would look like in human form. Geist had a thin skeletal frame underneath all those 'rocker' clothes. Maybe there was something to be said about a Shinigami once being someone or something else before they became gods of death?

"So, this what you meant by doing 'something together' when you got back? But I mean, you're gods of death?"

"Even gods of death get lonely, Demetre," Angel said, eyeing him with discord. "And how dare you barge into our private time! What do you want?" Angel scolded him, speaking to him curtly like a child. "This is between myself and Geist. Please respect personal space."

"I'm sorry, I never knew you could, I mean—I'm sorry," he stuttered, and then left a little shaken.

He shut the doors to the study and then stood there with his back to them for a moment. He shivered, taken aback.

When Adam walked in with his laptop in hand and Cerberus with him, Demetre saw him look at him curiously. "Demetre, what's the matter? You look like you're seen a ghost?"

"You have no idea."

"Huh?"

"Never mind," Demetre said. He watched Adam venture to his work station at the large oak desk in the study. He had two other computers setup with ghost-routers and modems and on the wall behind his desk was multiple screen CCTV system. "What's up? What have you been working on since I've been back?" He asked the boy, glad to be distracted from what he had just seen. "You seem very enthralled with it."

Demetre walked over to the desk.

"We need to talk about Prometheus," Adam said seriously. "From what you told me, the Shinigami is incredibly strong. We need to find a way to subdue him in the future, or we'll never get to Zurn."

"Is that even possible? I mean, how do you trap a god of death when they can turn themselves transparent and walk through walls?"

Adam turned his computer around so Demetre could see it. On the screen was the prototype of a trapping mechanism for and ethereal entity in the form of a cage with glowing bars. "It's only in the beginning stages, and the form is rudimentary, but I believe with knowledge of the supernatural world we now have thanks in part with help from some of the Shinigami at _the Savant Society_ , it can be done," he said. "You see, spirits and even Shinigami, are susceptible to Spirit Writing or spells. Even ghostly entity must adhere to a set of laws of their world. If we build this and cast it with specific trapping spells, there's no way that Prometheus will be able to escape it. Zurn would be defenceless without his Shinigami."

Demetre mused. "Then all we'd have to worry about are the _Nycrofiends_ that he always travels with—beings that are re-animated from the dead and controlled by the leader of the LOD, the 'Dark One'. Zurn is never without them. But he probably never thought to bring them to the orphanage, because he never considered that I would be there. I was lucky." Demetre smiled. "Good work, Adam—this is genius!"

Adam smiled. He then turned the computer back around and opened up a new page, sitting down in his chair.

"Information about the hostage-taking at Wammy House is varying and I believe the media has been told to remove it from his programming," Adam said. "Most likely the reason is, so it doesn't terrify parents who have their kids in daycare, for example; leaving their children with strangers. Something like this can explode out of proportion and cause a negative cascade effect where it shouldn't. Zurn targeted Wammy House, but I don't think he'll do it again. Trickster will be stationed there permanently. William Baxter insists on it to protect Sammy and the other kids."

Demetre nodded. "I'm glad he is utilizing the Death Note positively, not using it to kill," he said.

"Maybe your _non-usage_ has rubbed off on some people? Everyone at _the Savant Society_ knows you are an owner of a Death Note, but refuse to use it to kill out of principle, knowing it can used to help people instead. You will not kill with it. You have your guns, and Zurn is still susceptible to those—just not the _Death Note_. He's protected from it being used on him, much like a lot of the LOD members. Kira is still a very big threat, however. What are you going to do about Light Yagami? I know you don't what to see him after what occurred recently with L, but you're going to have to eventually confront him again. You might even have to do something you may not want to do."

"And I have reason for not using the Death Note," Demetre said, putting a hand to his heart. He felt the crucifix underneath his shirt. " _The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want_ —Psalm 23," he recited a line from the Bible. "I will find non-lethal way to pay Zurn back for killing at Dana. The Death Note is merely a tool to aid in my plight, Geist and Angel helping in their own ways. With all of you at my side, Zurn Wellington will be brought to justice. This I vow. As for Light, I still think he can be saved. I'm not ready to give up on him just yet."

Adam nodded. "What about Matt and the others you told me about? Mello and Near? How do you think we should deal with them? Eventually when all of them do come in on their own, they'll become a nuisance—and if the future does come the pass as we have see it, horrible tragedy will befall so many people. We have been given a gift and a chance to change things for the better."

"But what if we alter things for the worse?" Demetre said fretfully. "Leave everything to God, _He_ has a plan. I know Matt has been trying to contact me, but I haven't replied to any of his text message. I'm even thinking of blocking his phone number. I want him to live his own life, and not get involved with us. If our encounter has altered the timeline for Matt in any way and he doesn't get involved in the Kira Incident, I'll be glad for the change; he deserves better. We shouldn't have to worry so much about Mello for now, but Near is going to be major problem. We need to watch him very closely."

Just then, Demetre's phone dinged with another text message. He sighed, knowing who it was from. But when he read it, saw it, he couldn't help but smile at the emoji of a hand with its pinky finger extended.

It was a _Friendship Pinky Shake_.

_To be continued...  
_


	10. Epilogue

Prometheus exited the Shinigami portal with Zurn coiled within his body escaping the aftermath of the flash concussion bomb that exploded at Wammy House. Zurn has been directly in its blast radius and received the full brunt of the explosion. The large anaconda snake slithered into their safe haven and put his master down on the floor. But Zurn continued to cry out in agony, blinded and deaf.

Prometheus acted fast and lightly bite the back of Zurn's neck injecting just enough of a sleep agent to render him unconscious. It was best for his master to rest and wait for the effects of the flash bomb to wear off in a couple of hours. The Shinigami was surprised that his master had lasted this long after the effects of the device without falling unconscious.

With Zurn Wellington unconscious, and no one to see him, Prometheus altered his form to that of a human, and then carried his master to his bed chambers on the second floor. Zurn Wellington was finally at peace.

They resided in a large mansion in the highlands of Scotland.

Prometheus left the bed chambers, softly closing the door, and suddenly fumed and vowed revenge.

The mansion where Prometheus brought Zurn belonged to another, a mutual acquaintance, who was also a member of the League of Darkness like Zurn, and it was a safe place for times like this.

Prometheus left the second floor and went straight to the basement. It was bare except for a few stored items in crates and other assorted boxes, consisting of a concrete floor. Here he drew an integrated and highly sophisticated occultist symbol on the floor with chalk he carried. It was to summon something.

He was known to Zurn Wellington as Prometheus, but he was also something else beyond the man's knowledge, and yet the Shinigami King knew exactly what he truly was. The king god of death had even tried to hinder his powers at one point by taking away his physical form. When they were at _the Savant Society_ , the rumour was that he, Prometheus, had his powers taken away because he was punished for an unknown grievous act, but it could not be further from the truth. The Shinigami King merely took his powers away because he was afraid.

He tricked the god of death, however, and kept his cosmic powers intact, masking them, far below the king's radar. That was eons ago, and the Shinigami King no longer cared. The king was as lazy was he was stupid now.

From within the intrepid circle a silver bound book emerged and floated to his hands. On its cover was a symbol: a silver triangle with a cross in its centre. It was the symbol of _the Book of the First Dawn_ , a cosmic book that belong to him, summoned from the Astral Plane.

He took the book in hand and turned to a page. Then he commenced to mutter a foreign chant and ceremonial tattoos began to form themselves upon his skin and body, they were a form of war paint.

Lines forged vertically down his face curving around his cheeks and horizontal lines formed across his rip cage stopping at his defined abdominals. Two further lines went completely around his neck like two sets of collars. His eyes became a cobalt blue with kaleidoscopic pupils with shades of red eyeshadow.

His hair turned dark blood red and his clothes were altered to a self-appeasing look: light bagger grey pants with a tied off black cloth belt. He also wore black boots and a red, sleeveless, open-chest vest. Additionally, he also wore light grey gloves that reached up to his elbows, coloured with white palms, black fingers and red fingernails on top. It was an eclectic ensemble, but he liked it. To finish it off, a leather holster pack like a back pack surged into existence to later hold _the Book of the First Dawn_.

There was a small round mirror sitting on one of the boxes near by. It was his, and he had purposely left it here knowing no one ever came down. He picked it up and looked at himself. He smiled with bright white teeth. He had all the appearance of a young teenager of seventeen according to human years, but he was far older than anyone could conceive and almost as old as the cosmos.

_The Book of the First Dawn_ had a remarkable power and it— _he_ —could literally annihilate anything on a whim. Like the stories of the _Book of Genesis_ in one religion's lore, he could destroy the world with a flood or burn it with fire, or however he wished. Nothing was beyond him. But there was no purpose to that. It would also ruin his fun. He liked playing with humans for his amusement and had done for many years.

There were two other similar books that were owned by others both of whom resided in the Astral Plane—they were known as the "Triad of Cosmic Power", because they formed the bases of the universe and controlled every aspect of it. But he considered _his book_ the most powerful, because it was the first to be created. The other two were of lesser value, but he vowed one day that he would possess all three if the opportunity arose. To own all three was to have ultimate power! He could change everything to suit his desires.

For the immediately moment, he was satisfied with one book. And he was being entertained. That was all that mattered.

_The League of Darkness_ was an intriguing cult of people that believed in the complete and utter domination of all human life using Shinigami as their tools. There was a power struggle going on between the League and _the Savant Society_ and he knew eventually one would prevail—the more powerful one. And much like the curiosity of a Shinigami, he was eager to watch the battle for supremacy.

But he felt it needed a push, and after his last encounter with Demetre Draycott, under the guise as Prometheus, something more enthralling had to take place for things to move forward. Draycott was a thorn in the paw of a lion. Not only for the LOD, but Draycott could ruin everything with Kira's rise to power. And that could not happen. He didn't particular care about Kira, but he didn't want his enjoyment of things pertaining to the events to end too quickly. He wanted things to drag out as long as possible—for years, if he could.

He had seen the future and it was glorious for Kira, but he also knew the future is not written in stone and anything can change on a whim.

It was unfathomable how humans were unaware of how close they had come to their own destruction on numerous occasions, and gods, those that resided in the Astral Plane, and the cosmic universe—not just him—had to reverse time on a continuous bases to avoid those disasters. Humans were their own worse enemy.

At one point, and within the last eighty years, he personally had to reverse time to stop an experiment launched by a human governmental body that had opened up a rip in the space-time continuum creating a disastrous situation that could have enveloped the entire planet and the surrounding solar system. It had created a dimensional rift that brought both the present and future to the same point—like matter and anti-matter. They had called it the 'Philadelphia Experiment'. He had to make the military ship involved disappear for a time until he could fix the issue, then brought it back. Luckily, it was chalked up to some weird sensational phenomenon humans had come up with called UFO's.

He thrived on being a creator and making sure the human timeline continued.

He was a god of the Astral Plane and his namesake said it all: _Crusade_.

For entertainment purposes, he pretended to be a Shinigami, and that resulted in the ire of the Shinigami King, who delivered a devastating attack that could have cost him his very existence. The King turned him into an ethereal snake for a time without the ability to touch anything including his cosmic book. But thanks to his cosmic powers and sheer conviction, he, Crusade, was able to reverse the effects.

The Shinigami King knew Crusade's powers could destroy the god of death, therefore what the King did was to strike first. It amused Crusade that the Shinigami King saw him as a threat to his dominance. But fear drove beings to do crazy things.

While Zurn slept, Crusade had taken his Death Note, and now he cast a spell upon it. Now, whoever used it would have an unfettered power at their fingertips. He redesigned the cover to add the symbol of _the Book of the First Dawn_ which would connect the two.

He would not give this Death Note back to Zurn. Instead, he had another one, stolen from the Shinigami that he killed. No one was the wiser and Shinigami King didn't care about his minions anymore. It had been eons since last he showed his face. Each Shinigami were responsible for their own existence and gathering lifespans. If they chose to be lazy and allowed their time to lapse, it was their own fault.

Crusade duplicated all the names in the Death Note to the new one that he would give Zurn, the man wouldn't know the difference because the cover had a rudimentary and plain look, and then cleared the old—rebirthing it. He would give it to someone else worthy of its gift.

Smiling, he had a brilliant and amusing thought.

"Who better to receive this exalted power than a man who would fear it the most?" Crusade looked at the cover of the new Death Note. "Even the most honest and pious man can be corrupted. Sounds like fun."

He knew such a person, a well-known and established, and self-made man, with a modest following on the internet.

"Best to start at the beginning," he said. "It would be a fools errand to enter a new element in the middle of the game, so to speak, and who better than an evangelical man to cement the power of the ages and bring a new dawn of understanding to the world? Absolute power begets moral corruption and social influence, and with this new Death Note, and for his involvement in recent events" —his eyes suddenly became cold and dark— "Demetre Draycott must pay for his insolence and interference. If Draycott wishes to tamper with the timeline with his own involvement in the 'Kira Incident' events, then so will I with the insertion of a new element and a new player. Time to get started. Time to have some fun!"

With a snap of his fingers, he vanished in the blink of an eye, and transcended through time and space into the not-so-distant past to give to the man he chose the new Death Note, a man whom he envisioned would use it to its full potential and for a wonderful new purpose.

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First appearance of Crusade, who can be found in the following story "The Icarus Contract"


End file.
